The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-08-12
hardly won upon the encroachiny flames,
and with this earthwork built handful by
handful kept back the foe, s, NJ MI IN
HEROIC SURVIVORS,

| III
handful kept back the foe. :, VI l5Jl5%ft
y 55,sii HEROIC SURVIVORS. an Y
While this was going on, other brave
men crept underneath the wrecked car
beneath the fire and wooden bars, which
held 8prlsonera 40 many precious lives
and with pieces Of board and sometimes
their hands beat back the flames wher
they nashed up along side some untortu.
nate wretch, who, pinned down by a heavy
beam, looked on n helplesaly, while It
seemed % II his death BY fire was certain
and while tho fight was thus going on, the
cara Oh the workers were filed
with the groana Of dying men,
the anguished entreaties Of those
whose death heemed certain, unless the
terrible blsx, could DO extinguished, and
the cries Of thoae too badly hurt to care
IN what manner the end wore brought
about, 60 only 1t would be quick. So they
Dug up the earth with their hands, reGk.
less OF the blood streaming out from broken
finger nails, and heaping 1t up In little
mounds, while all the while came the
hosrtrending cry, "For Gods sake, don't
let us burn to death" But finally the
victory was Won; the fire was nut out
aitor ionr. hours Of endeavor, and as It's
last sparks died away, a light came up In
the east TO take their plscs,and dawn came
on tho scene Of horror. E&2s55I.T4
THE AWFUL POLL OF THE DEAD. n
While The fight had been going on mon
had been dying and there were not 80
many wounded to take out Of the wreck
as there had been four hours before, But
In the meantime the country had been
aroused, help had come from Chstsworth,
Forest and Piper City, ana the dead we're
laid reverently alongside each other in the
tield, where ready hands took them into
Ohalbworth, while some Of the wounded
were carried to Piper City. Ono hundred
and eighteen was the awful poll Of the
dead, while the wounded number four
times that many. The full tale OF the
dead cannot, however, DO told for days.
ChatBworth was turned into q morgue
to-day. The town hsll, tho engine house,
the depot were all full OF dead bodies,
while every house in the little village had
lie quota Of wounded. There were over
100 corpses laying in the extemporizsd
dead houaes, and every man and woman
was turned into an amateur but zsalous
nurse. Over In the lumber yard, the
noise OF hamme1a and saws rang out in
the air; busy carpenters we're making
rough collins to carry to their homes the
dead bodies OF the excursionists who,
twelve hours before, had LEI. their homes
full OF pleaaurable expectations OF the
enjoyment they were going to have dur.
ing the vacation which had begun. When
the news OF the disaster waa first flashed
over the wires prompt aid was ct once
sent. Or. Steele, chief surgeon OF the
Toledo, Peoria l. Western road, had come
on at once in q special train, and with
him were two other surgeons and their
assistants, with several physicianB from
Peoria. ~ 3, IS. sl = : ~ : :. -
ASSISTANCE ARRIVES.
There also came from Peoria, delegs.
tions of Red Men and the Ancient Order
OF United Workmen, q number OF both
societies being on tho i'll fated train, and
80 after 8 o'clock in the morning there
we're plenty OF people to do the work that
needed such prompt attention. In the
town hall was the main hospital, and in it
anxious relatives and sorrowing friends
sat, tanning gently the sufferers' faces.
queried the attending surgeons as they
bound up the wounds, and insisted that
there must be hope. Down in the dead
houses, fathers, husbands, brothers. sis.
tera, wiyes and children teariuiiy inspected
each face as it waa uncovered and sighed
as features were unknown or cried out in
anguish, when a well-known face, some
times fearfully maugled but recoguiz .ble,
was uncovered. The entire capacity OF
the little village was taxed, and kind.
hearted women drove In from miles away
to give their gentle ministsations to the
sufferers. No sooner had the wreck &C.
Cured than scene OF robbery COM
menced. Some band OF unspeaksble mig
crean:s, heartless and With only criminal
instincts, YVES on hand. These human
hyenas pluudered the dead from this ter
rible accident, and took even the sheets
which covered their feet. a. "a.
X; A HORRIBLE SUSPICION.
u Who these wretches we're is not known.
Whether they were band of pickpockets
who accompanied the train, or some rob.
Der gang who were lurking in the vicinity
cannot be said. The horrible suspicion,
hoWeyer, exiats, aud there are many who
give 1t credit that the accident was q de-
liberatsly planned case OF train wrecking.
That the bridge was set on fire by miacre-
ants who hoped to seize the Opportunity
offered, and the fact that the bridge was
30 far consumed at the Z time the
train came along, aud the added
TACT that the train was an hour and
half late, are pointed out az evidences OF
q careful conspiracy. 1t seems hardly
possible that man could be so lost to all
the ordinary feelings which animates the
basest Of the human race; but still men
who will rob dead men, who will steal
from the dying and will plumber the
wounded held down by broken beams OF
q wrecked car, whose death by FIRE seemed
imminent, can do ID. most K anything
which ls base, aud that is y what
these tends in human form did; They
went into cars when the fire was burning
ferCely, and when the poor wretches who
where pinned there begged them "ior
Gods sake to help them out" stripped
1'eM VI t4eI WatC1e5 = ana y, 39Wetfp,
and searched their peck els for
money. When the dead bodies were
laid out + in the corn fields, these
hyenas turned them oyer in their search
Tor ,vsluables, and that the plumber WAS
done by an organized gang was proven by
the fact that this morning out in corn
field sixteen purses all empty we're found
in one heap. Twas CHASTITY plunderinp
and had the plundsrers BEEN caught this
afternoon, they would surely have been
lynched. A, tI1'. "a ,.,iSi..
's5f THE DEATH LIST. isl IA 4
The following are the names OF the dead !:
s.. B: Stockton, Peoria; Miss Stephens
and father; Mike Regen, Binahampton,
n: "; Mrs. Graft, Cuba, III; Henry
Hicken, Pekin, Ill; Noah Hayermore.
Canton, III. NJ. Smith, Matamora, nj;
George a. Smith, Peoria, = Mrs. 4 Zim.:
norman, Peoria; Roae and Maggie Muir.
ply and mother, Peoria; Miss Maggie
Malvow; Miss Neal, Mosaville, ID Ills. +:
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